All-grain · 20 L (5.3 gal)
German Pils Recipe
BJCP 5D · German Pils
Pale, bright and dry, with firm bitterness and the floral, spicy aroma of German hops. A true lager: it needs cold temperatures and patience.
German Pils recipe by the numbers
- Batch size
- 20 L (5.3 gal)
- Original gravity
- 1.047
- Final gravity
- 1.009
- ABV
- 5.0%
- Bitterness
- 34 IBU
- Color
- 4 SRM (7 EBC)
- Mash
- 64 °C (147 °F) for 60 minutes
- Boil
- 60 minutes
- Fermentation
- 12 °C (54 °F) for 2 weeks, 3 days at 18 °C (64 °F) and 4 weeks at 1–2 °C (34–36 °F)
- Bottling
- 6.5 g of sugar per liter (0.9 oz/gal)
About 145 kcal per 330 ml (11 oz) bottle, worked out from its original and final gravity.
German Pils recipe: ingredients and steps
Batch size
Recipe for 20 liters (5.3 US gallons) into the fermenter.
Malts
| Malt | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Pilsner malt4 EBC (2 °L) | 4.10 kg (9.04 lb) | 96.5% |
| Carapils malt4 EBC (2 °L) | 0.15 kg (0.33 lb) | 3.5% |
Hops
| Hop | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Magnum13% alpha acids | 18 g (0.63 oz) | 60 minBittering |
| Hallertau Mittelfrüh4% alpha acids | 25 g (0.88 oz) | 20 minFlavor |
| Tettnang4.5% alpha acids | 30 g (1.06 oz) | FlameoutAroma |
You will also need
Yeast: Dry lager yeast, such as W-34/70: two 11.5 g (0.4 oz) packets. At 12 °C (54 °F) the yeast works slowly, so you need twice as much.
Water: About 28.5 L (7.5 gal): 13 L (3.4 gal) for the mash and 15.5 L (4.1 gal) for the sparge.
Priming sugar: 6.5 g of table sugar per liter of beer bottled (0.9 oz/gal), about 125 g (4.4 oz) for 19 L (5.0 gal), or 7.5 g per liter (1.0 oz/gal) of dextrose.
Hops: pellets, kept in the freezer until brew day.
Step by step
- Heat 13 L (3.4 gal) of water to 70 °C (158 °F), add the crushed malts and stir until there are no dough balls. It should settle at about 64 °C (147 °F): hold that temperature for 60 minutes, covered. At 64 °C (147 °F) the wort comes out very fermentable and the pils dry.
- Lift out the grain and sparge it with 15.5 L (4.1 gal) of water at 76 °C (169 °F). You should collect about 24 L (6.3 gal) of wort at 1.041.
- Boil for 60 minutes, uncovered and vigorously: pilsner malt needs that boil so it doesn't end up tasting of cooked corn. The 18 g (0.6 oz) of Magnum at the start and 25 g (0.9 oz) of Hallertau with 20 minutes left. At flameout, 30 g (1.1 oz) of Tettnang and a 10-minute hop stand.
- Chill as far as you can, down to 12 °C (54 °F) if you can get there; if not, chill to 20 °C (68 °F) and put the fermenter in the fridge until it drops to 12 °C (54 °F) before pitching. Transfer about 20 L (5.3 gal) to the fermenter, aerate well and take a gravity reading: it should be around 1.047.
- Pitch both packets of yeast and ferment at 12 °C (54 °F). When the gravity drops to 1.015–1.018 (about 10 days), raise the fermenter to 18 °C (64 °F) and leave it for 3 days: this is the diacetyl rest, so the yeast cleans up the diacetyl, which tastes like butter.
- Once the gravity holds at 1.009 for three days in a row, lower the temperature by 2 °C (about 4 °F) a day down to 1–2 °C (34–36 °F) and leave the beer there for four weeks. This cold conditioning is the lagering: it clears the beer and gives it a clean, rounded flavor.
- Bottle with the sugar dissolved in a little boiled water and keep the bottles at room temperature for three weeks: after so much cold there's little yeast left in suspension, so it takes longer to carbonate. Then move them to the fridge.
The priming sugar is calculated for the 18 °C (64 °F) of the diacetyl rest, the warmest the beer gets. If you can't ferment at 12 °C (54 °F), a lager yeast at 18 °C (64 °F) or a kölsch yeast gives something similar, but less clean.
If your hops don't have those alpha acids, adjust the Magnum grams with the IBU calculator to keep about 34. The classic German hops (Hallertau, Tettnang, Spalt) can be swapped for one another.
The style: German Pils (BJCP 5D), with its history, its numbers and other ways to brew it.
Different setup? Recalculate with the water calculator, the IBU calculator and the priming sugar calculator.
Rating recipes and keeping a brew log need an account, which is only available in Spanish for now. English accounts are coming soon.
Frequently asked questions
How strong will this German Pils be?
About 5.0% ABV: it starts at 1.047 and finishes at 1.009, and (OG − FG) × 131.25 gives that percentage.
How long until it is ready?
One brew day, fermentation at 12 °C (54 °F) for 2 weeks, 3 days at 18 °C (64 °F) and 4 weeks at 1–2 °C (34–36 °F) and about two weeks in the bottle: give it a little over a month.
Can I use a different bittering hop?
Yes. What matters is keeping the bitterness: if you use another hop instead of Magnum at 13% alpha acids, work out the grams from its alpha acids (or with the IBU calculator) to stay at about 34 IBUs.
What if my system does not get 72% efficiency?
Your gravity will come out different. Scale the base malt up or down (or add a little dry malt extract to the boil if you fall short) and recalculate the water with the calculator.
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Reference style: German Pils in the BJCP guidelines, 2021 edition. Original recipe by Hacer Cerveza Casera, designed for a homebrew setup.